Stolen airstrip returned to IAF after being secretly sold off 28 years ago

The case dates back to 1997, when Usha Ansal and her son Naveen Chanda allegedly stolen an airstrip used by the Indian Air Force during the 1962, 1965, and 1971 wars

Twenty-eight years after a World War II-era airstrip was allegedly stolen and sold, a mother-son duo in Punjab have been named in a first information report (FIR), The Times of India has reported.

 

The case, registered in Firozpur district, pertains to an airstrip located in Fattuwala village that was used by the Indian Air Force (IAF) during the 1962, 1965, and 1971 wars. The airstrip, which served as an advanced landing ground, was allegedly misappropriated in 1997 by Usha Ansal and her son Naveen Chanda, in collusion with certain revenue officials.

 

According to the report, the duo illegally took possession of the land and subsequently sold it, prompting fresh legal action decades later.

 

 

The Punjab and Haryana High Court ordered the chief director of the Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) to investigate the allegations levelled against the duo. The order was issued after a report was filed on June 20, following which an FIR was registered. The case has been registered under several sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC):

 

• Section 419 (cheating by impersonation)
• 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property)
• 465 (forgery)
• 467 (forgery of valuable security, will, etc)
• 471 (using a forged document or electronic record as genuine)
• 120B (criminal conspiracy).

 

DSP Karan Sharma has been handed over the charge to lead the investigation in this case to identify all those involved in the long-concealed scam. In May 2025, the Ministry of Defence reclaimed the land after a directive from the High Court.

 

According to the Vigilance Bureau report, the airstrip, originally acquired by the British administration in March 1945 for World War II operations, belongs to the IAF. It also verified that the strip has been with the IAF, which was used during the wars of 1962, 1965, and 1971.

 

Usha and Naveen, residents of Dumni Wala village, allegedly fabricated revenue records to falsely claim ownership of the land, which they then sold in collusion with some officers.

 

The incident came to light after a whistleblower, named Nishan Singh, who worked as a former revenue official, filed a complaint. Despite years of inaction, the case made some headway in 2021, after the commandant of Halwara Air Force Station wrote to Firozpur’s deputy commissioner, seeking a probe.

 

With no action being taken for years, the whistleblower reached the High Court and filed a petition, seeking a probe into this matter. Singh’s counsel argued that the original owner, Madan Mohan Lal, passed away in 1991; yet, the sale deeds were executed six years later in 1997. These documents listed Surjit Kaur, Manjit Kaur, Mukhtiar Singh, Jagir Singh, Dara Singh, Rakesh Kant, and Ramesh Kant as the recorded owners in the 2009–10 Jamabandi. 

The High Court pulled up Firozpur’s deputy commissioner for inaction in the matter, citing concerns of national security.